Alabama Eyes Playoff Push After Iron Bowl Win, Preps for SEC Title Showdown with Georgia
The Iron Bowl rarely disappoints, and this year was no exception. Alabama walked into a raucous Jordan-Hare Stadium and walked out with a gritty 27-20 win over rival Auburn, capping off a 10-2 regular season and punching its ticket to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game. It’s the Crimson Tide’s 16th appearance in the title game - a testament to the program’s consistency and staying power under the brightest lights.
That win didn’t just close the book on the regular season - it kept Alabama’s College Football Playoff hopes alive. The latest CFP rankings, released Tuesday night, have the Crimson Tide sitting at No. 9 heading into their SEC Championship Game rematch with Georgia.
It’s a familiar position for Alabama, a program that’s made eight playoff appearances since the CFP began in 2014, capturing three national titles along the way. But this year’s path is a little different.
For the first time, the playoff field expands to 12 teams. That means more opportunity, but also more chaos.
The top four seeds will earn a first-round bye, while seeds No. 5 through No. 8 will host first-round matchups on campus against teams seeded No. 9 through No. 12.
Alabama, currently at No. 9, would be on the road in that first round - unless they can shake things up in Atlanta.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. A win over Georgia, the defending national champs and a perennial CFP powerhouse, would likely vault Alabama into one of those higher seeds - possibly even into the top four, depending on how things shake out elsewhere.
A loss, and things get murkier. But with the new playoff format, the door doesn’t slam shut quite as quickly as it did in the four-team era.
The playoff selection committee, chaired this year by Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek, includes a mix of former coaches, athletic directors, and longtime college football minds - names like Mark Dantonio, Chris Ault, and Ivan Maisel. They’re tasked with sorting through a crowded field that includes unbeaten Ohio State, one-loss Georgia, and a handful of two-loss teams with strong resumes, including Alabama.
Here’s where Alabama has stood in the CFP rankings throughout the back half of the season:
- Week 1 (after second bye): No. 4
Alabama moves up to No. 9 and would travel to Oklahoma in the first round in the penultimate College Football Playoff Rankings pic.twitter.com/ZLtanQLufO
— Joe Gaither (@JoeGaither6) December 3, 2025
- Week 2 (after LSU win): No. 4
- Week 3 (after Oklahoma loss): No. 10
- Week 4 (after Eastern Illinois win): No. 10
- Week 5 (after Auburn win): No. 9
That drop after the Oklahoma loss was significant, but Alabama has clawed its way back into the conversation. The committee clearly still respects the Tide’s body of work, and with a win over Georgia, they’d be adding a marquee victory at the perfect time.
Looking ahead, the 2025-26 College Football Playoff schedule will feature on-campus first-round games for the first time in the format’s history. That’s a major shift - and one that adds extra incentive for teams to climb into that 5-8 range.
Hosting a playoff game in Tuscaloosa? That’s the kind of advantage that could make all the difference in a deep playoff run.
For now, Alabama has one focus: Georgia. Beat the Bulldogs, and the path to a national title opens wide. Lose, and the Tide will have to hope their résumé - and their reputation - are enough to earn one of those coveted at-large bids.
This is the new era of college football, where 10 wins don’t guarantee you anything, and every week reshapes the playoff picture. But if there’s one program built for this moment, it’s Alabama.